


Altered Gold

by AnAroAceGremlin



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead Adopts Eri, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead Adopts Shinsou Hitoshi, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead is So Done, Alternate Universe, Angst, BAMF Bakugou Katsuki, Bakugou Katsuki Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Bakugou Katsuki Needs Therapy, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, Bakugou Masaru's Bad Parenting, Bakugou Mitsuki's Bad Parenting, Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia Manga Spoilers, Crossover, Dadzawa, Edward Elric Keeps Alchemy, Emotional Baggage, Flashbacks, Gen, Hatsume Mei is a Good Friend, Hero Public Safety Commission Bashing (My Hero Academia), Human Experimentation, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, League of Villains as Family (My Hero Academia), Midoriya Izuku Does Not Have One for All Quirk, Parental Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Post-Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Protective Takami Keigo | Hawks, Quirk Discrimination (My Hero Academia), Quirk Experimentation (My Hero Academia), Reincarnated Edward Elric, Shinsou Hitoshi Replaces Mineta Minoru, Some Fluff, Vigilante Bakugou Katsuki, Well - Freeform, also there's no way there isn't more side effects to going through the gate like 5 times by age 16, he's not really in the fic bc Katsuki pushes like 80 percent of the bnha plot, its up to you whether this has a happy ending, no beta we die like the people kirishima would want us to be, so much, twist ending but otherwise canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:48:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26503177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnAroAceGremlin/pseuds/AnAroAceGremlin
Summary: Edward Elric was given a choice. Naturally, this can only lead to traumatizing childhoods, breaking as many laws at once as possible & then some more, government conspiracies, swearing, child soldiers, gratuitous amounts of science, and some good old blasphemy.AKA Katsuki Bakugou is Edward Elric reincarnated and everyone is along for the ride. If the ride was a crashing train going off a cliff, on fire, and God was laughing.CURRENTLY ON HIATUS
Relationships: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Bakugou Katsuki, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Class 1-A, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Eri, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Shinsou Hitoshi, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Takami Keigo | Hawks, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Bakugou Katsuki & Class 1-A, Bakugou Katsuki & Edward Elric, Bakugou Katsuki & Eri, Bakugou Katsuki & Hatsume Mei, Bakugou Katsuki & Hero Public Safety Commission, Bakugou Katsuki & League of Villains, Bakugou Katsuki & Original Female Character(s), Bakugou Katsuki & Sensei | All for One, Bakugou Katsuki & Shinsou Hitoshi, Bakugou Katsuki & Takami Keigo | Hawks, Edward Elric & The Truth, Eri & Shinsou Hitoshi, Hero Public Safety Commission & Takami Keigo | Hawks, League of Villains & Takami Keigo | Hawks, Takami Keigo | Hawks & Usagiyama Rumi | Miruko, i mean technically - Relationship
Comments: 40
Kudos: 642





	1. You Know Those Days When You Think God Has It Out For You?

**Author's Note:**

> I really did just decide to stick two of the most feral traumatized kids together.
> 
> Also I'm trying to keep the timeline & ages canon but if I miss something tell me.  
> Ed!Katsuki's costume is pretty similar to the canon one, except it's red instead of orange & green, the gauntlents are smaller, and there's some metals on his arms (kinda like armor) for him to transmute. His mask around his eyes covers more of his face to hide his identity.
> 
> Disclaimer: 
> 
> Characters belong to Horikoshi. 
> 
> A few headcanons inspired by Sif are in here so here's the link to her stuff:
> 
> ao3 Account: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosae/pseuds/Sif
> 
> Tumblr: https://the-final-sif.tumblr.com/

_He stood in the white void more confidently than he had any right to. Maybe it was the wounds still aching from the battle before, feeling the phantom memory of the last punch on his fist (both hands made of flesh, not worth the cost, not worth -), that washed away his fear of this place. Maybe it was the soulless armor and the hollow feeling, the nothing-left-to-lose thoughts his mind was stuck on._

_The not-human-human-shaped-thing smiled widely at him._

_“The arrogance never ends, does it? You always have something to lose”, It tilted Its head into consideration. “The price you have to pay… Will be your world”._

_“What?”, he frowned, mind flashing back to when he had already almost lost his world. “I just fucking stopped that”._

_It chuckled darkly._

_“The world will not be taken away from you, you will be taken away from it. To save one life, you will have to sacrifice everything that makes up yours”_

_“So I’m going to die?”, he asked. There was still no fear clouding his thoughts, this was always something he had been ready to die for. It somehow grinned even wider._

_“That depends on your definition of death”_

_\-----------------------------------_

Katsuki jerked awake and stared at the ceiling as his head spun. After getting his bearings, he sat up slowly and glanced at the alarm clock. 5:43 am. So he was about to wake up anyway.

He stared at his hands for a moment. Dreams were weird, but his had always been strangely lucid. And kind of consistent. A common theme was the feeling of prosthetics, or what he imagines it would feel like. Katsuki had given up on trying to figure out what his mind was trying to tell him, it didn’t make any fucking sense anyway. Yet the feelings of wrongness never left.

Dragging himself out of bed, Katsuki began his day like any other. Check to see if his makeshift home was messed with, make himself food, and check the news. Katsuki surveyed the hidden security arrays at every entrance of the abandoned building he had remade into a functional home. Unfortunately, on the outside, it looked the same since he didn’t want anyone finding him and calling CPS. For security reasons, of course, but also because Katsuki had never figured out exactly how to properly explain to adults that he could take care of himself. Even without his two powerful quirks, Katsuki knew how to cook, clean, how to administer first aid, and care for his health. It was downright offensive how no one believed he had done the proper research before starting to live on his own.

The decision had been made over five years ago, Katsuki only turning eight years old a couple months before it. It had been easy, he didn’t get along with his parents, and the school he went to was _far_ too easy. Naturally, that hadn’t been the only reason.

Katsuki was a vigilante named Ground Zero (he had wanted to be called Lord Explosion Murder, but it didn’t work out). It was a long story. In short, it was repeated exposure to kidnappers with less than half a brain cell going after him because of his quirks, the blatant corruption and incompetence of law enforcement, and seeing how even average citizens with ‘bad’ quirks were treated. Katsuki’s inner desire to tear it the fuck down won out. He wasn’t a villain, to be clear. Bastards like them just wanted an excuse to hurt the world back. Katsuki didn’t want to be a part of it.

And though he hated to admit it, but it had been hard at first. Taking down some random criminals was easy. Real change? That was something else. Thankfully, Katsuki had some ideas of where to start ( ~~where did they come from?~~ ). Like befriending other vigilantes, people with information, and systematically mapping out who’s who in the government (personally, Katsuki had never understood why so many rich assholes were in charge of policies that would never affect them).

Now he was thirteen and his vigilante persona had a reputation. Exposing corrupt people in power had become his specialty, Katsuki had always had the talent for spotting bullshit. And his identity was a complete secret, no one had a clear idea of what his quirk was - or that he had two - either. He liked it that way.

\-----------------------------------

Katsuki sensed another presence drop onto the roof ten feet away.

“Eraserhead,” he smiled lightly. Most heroes fell under the categories of Oblivious Civil Servants, Attention Seekers, Should Be Called A Villain, or Just Stupid, but Eraserhead was in the fucking rare and highly sought after category; Competent & Self Aware. Underground heroes usually were either the best or worst in Katsuki’s experience. And this was one of the only ones he trusted to an extent.

“Kid”

Not that Katsuki would ever tell him any personal information, the hero would send him to CPS so fast his head would spin. He had met the hero early on, over four years ago, and it had taken almost as long to finally get to the point where Eraserhead wouldn’t try to drag him to a police station on sight. Mostly because he had finally given up on the impossible idea that Katsuki could be contained for more than ten minutes while conscious. Safe to say Katsuki was wary of the scarf.

“Did you hear about what’s going on with that mafia group?” it was always best to be a little vague on the details, Katsuki didn’t want the hero to figure out where he got his information. 

“Someone new is taking over,” Eraserhead replied flatly, _get to the point_ , his stare said. 

“He has the previous boss’s 4-year-old granddaughter. There are rumors about her having a strong quirk," _she's in a bad place_ , Katsuki said silently, _we need to work together_. At the mention of a child the hero looked furious, like he didn’t deal with cases similar to this regularly. Not that Katsuki had room to criticize.

“I assume you have a plan if you're telling me this,” the tired sigh was perfected over the years from dealing with Katsuki, his students, and that yelling hero/UA teacher Eraserhead sometimes complained about. Katsuki grinned widely, showing too many teeth for it to ever be considered friendly.

\-----------------------------------

Transmutation - what Katsuki called his other quirk ( ~~_the one that doesn’t make sense, or is it the other way around?_ ~~ ) - was very useful when he was making his costume. As long as he had the materials, he could make it into whatever he wanted. It had changed a little over the years, but Katsuki was proud of how functional his design was. Heroes and villains needed to step up their game, what was With The _Dysfunction_ of it all (he had sent _way_ too many anonymous letters to the Hero Commission about fucking _heels)._

His quirk was also very useful for stealth. (The other one, Explosion, was not. Obviously.) Especially, for sneaking in and out of places. No door? There is now. Katsuki could make that his fucking catchphrase if he was inclined.

So sneaking into the mafia base was pretty easy and it also helped that he had the element of surprise. Touching the wall of a hallway, Katsuki sensed the structure of the building, including the security cameras, and where every person was. It was a side effect of Transmutation ( ~~_is it?_ ~~), Katsuki instantly knew the formation and composition of anything he touched. Very useful, made touching people disconcerting, but having nitroglycerin for sweat already made him stay away from others, so whatever.

The base was mostly guarded on the top floors and outside, leaving top members of the mafia to the lower levels that he had taken himself too. Good, made this easier. The plan was pretty simple since the goal wasn’t to take down the mafia itself. Katsuki would cause distractions and take the chance to destroy some of Overhaul’s gross research while Eraserhead would use a more subtle entrance he made and save the kid with as little fighting as possible. She had been through enough, Katsuki and the hero both agreed to leave Overhaul to the flashy heroes. That raid would happen at some point anyway, according to Eraserhead.

Katsuki was nothing if not excellent at distractions. He grinned as he stretched his transmuting awareness to the top floors and started destroying and recreating the structure. Hope Overhaul like statues flipping him off. He snickered as he cut off every security camera in the building, ducked around a corner to avoid the criminals being called up, and headed to the lab.

Human experimentation ( ~~_a little girl and her dog_ ~~ ), Katsuki fucking hated it ( ~~_an array covered in blood_ ~~ ), it pissed him off more than most things ( ~~_thank…. you..._ ~~ ). None of this lab would be useable by the time he was done, not even Overhaul’s fucking quirk could fix it. Transmutation was an ability he preferred to use for rebuilding in contrast to Explosion, but this lab… Katsuki walked in and took in the place built of nightmares. He was going to _atomize_ this fucking lab. 

Katsuki sensed Eraserhead move through the tunnel he made while everyone was freaking out above. He waited a few minutes as the hero was no doubt talking to the kid, before knowing they had left and closed the entrance.

The lab was no longer recognizable. The walls were gone, tiles now dust, and Katsuki started a fire to burn all the research for good measure. After admiring his work, he didn’t waste any time leaving that awful place. The girl was safe and no one would use her like that again. 

But even days after, that place still bothered him, made him feel like he had forgotten something. Katsuki liked to consider himself a scientist of sorts, maybe that was why people like Overhaul disgusted him so much ( ~~_a map, a history of bloodshed, and for what?_ ~~). It was also why he knew some truths were... Better left untouched. 

\-----------------------------------

“Hawks, are you listening?” the Hero Commission president’s voice snapped him out of his train of thought. Hawks smiled the way he was taught to and nodded.

“Yeah, just wondering why this kid chose to do this all alone,” he glanced back down at the picture of the vigilante Ground Zero ( _he’s so young,_ ~~_older than you were_ ~~) in the file before looking at the president again. She didn’t seem too annoyed.

“There’s no need, he won’t be a vigilante much longer,” she said, confirming his thoughts. An uneasy feeling settled in him.

“So the Hero Commission is going to… Recruit him?” Hawks chose his wording carefully. The president nodded.

“Yes, we’ll call you in to help with his training once we’ve acquired him,” the president didn’t say anything else to him, either not caring or not noticing how sick Hawks felt at her words. He almost ran out of the office as soon as he was dismissed.

Hawks didn’t take the file with him, but the picture of the little kid fighting a villain stuck with him long after he left.

\-----------------------------------

“What do you think?” the doctor turned to the villain. All for One hummed lightly, watching the footage of the child vigilante fight in the street against some everyday villains. “They could be a strong recruit.”

“That one won’t join,” the villain replied, voice calm. The doctor frowned in confusion.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Someone like that won’t listen to anyone,” All for One didn’t expand on that explanation, so the doctor quietly left the villain to his thoughts. Finally, All for One sighed and turned away, but not before wondering aloud.

“What did you want so badly? What was worth the **Truth**?”

_\-----------------------------------_

_“So what will it be?”_

_“Yes, of course. What else?” he couldn’t imagine abandoning his brother to this void. As soon as he said it, a new gate appeared next to him. The doors opened and the hands reached out to drag him into it. Despite the lack of hesitation in his choice, the cruel irony of it all couldn’t just be ignored._

_“Do you really hate me so much?” it came out more tired than he meant it. But it was a valid question, did the mistake he made at eleven warrant all of this? Was he really so…_

_It’s smile softened a little. Or maybe It was tired too._

_“I am the World, or perhaps the Universe, or God. I am the_ **_Truth_** _. I am All, and I am One. I am also_ **_you_** _."_

_Edward Elric closed his eyes in acceptance, before opening them and walking through the new gate on his own._

_Katsuki Bakugou opened his eyes for the first time in another world, the colors a bright red with flecks of gold._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even AFO is smarter than the HC
> 
> \---
> 
> Aizawa, trying to make sure this scarily genuis, completely feral, hell child with Two traumatizing childhoods is okay: Please go to therapy
> 
> Ed!Katsuki: wtf is that, the only way to deal with trauma is punching and research
> 
> Aizawa: *internally screaming*
> 
> \---
> 
> Katsuki, with his powers and knowledge he got from commiting blashphemy: This. Is. Normal. :))))
> 
> \---
> 
> In case it was unclear, the () with the strikethrough was supressed Ed Thoughts/Memories or Hawks' Denial.
> 
> Inner Edward Elric at anytime: FucK aUTHoriTIes, eAt tHE rICh, dO CRIME 
> 
> \---
> 
> No, but seriously Ed's & Katsuki's biggest difference is how they make decisions and now it's hilarious to write the balance between the somehow equally feral Just Do It & Use Common Sense.
> 
> Wonder if everyone got all the FMAB references Katsuki doesn't understand, tho I wasn't really subtle.


	2. Sharing Is Caring, Unless It's Trauma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward *handshake emoji* Hawks, being child soldiers!

_“Colonel!?”_

_“Hi, Fullmetal”_

_He walked into the room warily, feeling like the Fuhrer was staring into his soul. The Colonel looked just as happy to be here._

_“Sit down,” Bradley ordered._

_“... What happened?” he asked the Colonel. The man huffed in annoyance._

_“Various things. A lot of it. Sergeant Major Fuery to the south, Warrant Officer Falman to the north, Second Lieutenant Breda has been sent to the west, and it seems First Lieutenant Hawkeye is the Fuhrer's personal assistant,” the Colonel did a good job of acting unphased, even at the mention of the sniper being so close to Bradley._

_“What the hell is that!?!”_ ** _that’s a fucking hostage, to think such an implausible transfer would be allowed._ ** _He turned to glare at Bradley. Al had been quiet so far, but he must be angry too._

_“It wasn’t just part of the high ups either._ **_Everything_ ** _is pitch black,” the Colonel seemed calm. He knew better. Fuhrer King Bradley, no,_ **_a homunculus_** _. He thought of the ruins of Xerxes, he thought of Ishval. Amestris was always theirs, wasn’t it?_

_A sudden cough from inside Al’s armor made him jump, and Al pretended to cough for a moment as he hurridly asked Bradley a question._

_“.. Before, when I was hospitalized! You came to visit me. Back then, I didn’t think that you could possibly be on that side. I was completely fooled.”_

_“‘Don’t stick your head into unnecessary things’, ‘act as if you believe everyone in the military is an enemy’, ‘when the time comes I’ll have you work for me’... Is what I said. To us, you are valuable resources. You do not need to know unnecessary things. Just stay quiet until the time comes. If you do that, we won’t treat you poorly.”_

_“Then when that time comes, what will happen to the civilians other than us ‘human sacrifices’?” he cut in. What bullshit._

_“I thought I said you didn’t need to know unnecessary things, Fullmetal Alchemist,” Bradley said, a warning tone in his voice. Anger built up in him._

_“..._ ** _Fullmetal Alchemist, huh?_** _When I first received this second name, I thought it had a heavy sound to it. To think it’d become such an awful weight,” he pulled out his state alchemist watch and stared at it for a moment before lifting it up, “_ ** _This second name. I’ll be throwing it away_** _._ _In the beginning, because even a kid like me would be given various privileges, I personally went forward and became a Dog of the Military. The humiliation of using alchemy, which is supposed to be for the people, for the military… I took it on to search for a way to get our bodies back. But! This state alchemist system itself is possibly an operation to elect human sacrifices… What’s more, if you say that we’ll be forced to take part in something so unimaginably sinister..._

_“I don’t need this!” he threw the watch onto the table. “I’ll quit being a state alchemist”_

_“The dog’s insignia… It’s covered in blood. Hold onto it, Fullmetal Alchemist,” Bradley made it seem like this was such a casual thing._

_“I don’t need it,” it’s covered in blood because of you people anyway. “I’ll spread the word around to other alchemists too, and put a stop to your plans for this country”_

_“No. I believe you will be holding onto that._ **_With your own will_** _,_ _” Bradleys sounded very sure of himself._

_“My own will? There’s no way...”_

_“Now what was that girl’s name? Right. It was_ **_Winry Rockbell_** _,_ _” Bradley tapped his forehead as he stiffened in horror. Winry… “A girl who is your childhood friend, an automail mechanic, born in Resembol, someone equivalent to family to you two. Right now she is working in Rush Valley… She is a blessing to both her friends and her valued customers. A nice, honest girl”_

_He slammed both hands on the table, making it shake. Al clenched his armored fist next to him._

_“_ **_Don’t you lay a hand on her!! None of the people around her either!_ ** _”_

_“Such an honest boy. So? What will you do?” Bradley slid the watch back to him. “_ **_If you say you don’t need it, I’ll let you go_ ** _”_

_But not Winry. He stared at the bloody watch._

_“Damn...,” he cursed under his breath, grabbed it, and put it back in his pocket. Bradley smiled far too pleasantly._

_\-----------------------------------_

At night, the sounds of the fire escape creaking under his weight stood out more as Katsuki climbed it quickly. Old, unsteady metal shook in his grip as he swung himself up a level and jumped onto the roof. He ducked out of sight and heard the Pro Hero chasing him reach the empty alley.

Katsuki smirked when he sensed the hero give up and leave. He settled on a secluded rooftop and checked his right arm. The hero had chanced upon him earlier as he had been dropping off a villain at the police station discreetly and managed to hit Katsuki’s arm with some weird projectile quirk. Under inspection, it was just a bruise. Not important then. Katsuki stood up, preparing to head home now that morning was approaching.

“Hi!”

Katsuki whirled around and let off a small warning explosion before he could even register who had snuck up behind him. And _how_.

“Hey, wait! I’m not attacking you,” the bastard who somehow caught him unawares said. Katsuki finally saw him. Ah. Of course, he can’t fucking sense anyone _flying_.

Hawks, one of the top 50 heroes and known for his speed, touched down on the roof. He had a cheerful expression on his face like Katsuki hadn’t just sent a small explosion at it and like the hero wasn’t supposed to be arresting him. Katsuki was adept at reading bullshit, even through a TV, but he still wasn’t completely sure what kind of person this guy was. Guess he was gonna find out.

“What the fuck do you want?” Katsuki scowled and got out of a fighting position, while still remaining tense. _If he tries to tell me what to do or treat me like a five-year-old I’ll punch him in the face._ Who was he kidding? That’s how all heroes acted with him.

“I just wanted to meet you, you’ve gotten really famous, you know?” Hawks seemed a little… Nervous maybe? Katsuki analyzed him some more. The hero wasn’t just dropping by, he wanted to meet Katsuki, but ‘just because’ was bullshit.

“Don’t lie,” Katsuki bit out, annoyed by how hard to read the hero was. That surprised him though, the media smile faltered. “If you’re not going to be honest, fuck off”

"... That's fair. Okay, uh, I'm here because the Hero Commission has become interested in… Recruiting you to become a hero. I wanted to talk to you about it," Hawks' smile faded into a more neutral expression. Katsuki could tell what he said was true, in a misleading and omitting facts kind of way. The Hero Commission… Was run by greedy elites ( ~~_blue uniforms, fake smiles, whispers of living forever_ ~~ ) with little to no morals or actual regard for the public. Hawks was a young hero backed by them, he was well trained and rising in ranks faster than anyone. Katsuki scowled as his stomach twisted a bit in apprehension. If Hawks was here, essentially warning him, ahead of the Commission then he must at least be a little self-aware. Not a completely loyal dog to them ( ~~_the weight of a watch in his pocket grounded him_ ~~).

"I'll make sure to tell them to fuck off, we have nothing to talk about," he said, hoping the hero would just leave him alone now. He was getting a headache. Katsuki didn't need any help and he doubted Hawks would want any either if he even offered. Maybe he could send Eraserhead to bother Hawks, the Underground Hero would _hate_ this.

"Ah, yeah, I'll tell them you're not interested. They… might still..."

"Will those assholes try to kidnap me or something?" Katsuki phrased it like a question even though he already knew the answer. Hawks stiffened as Katsuki cut off his attempt to somehow give a warning while not bashing the Commission. What bullshit. Katsuki grinned at the hero. "Don't worry, any of them try to fucking grab me and they'll permanently have my boots imprinted on their face"

Hawks stared in disbelief and just left of hysterical amusement. Katsuki was tempted to take a picture so the world could see what this asshole looks like when he's not acting like a 1-dimensional cardboard cut out celebrity. Breaking News! Local hero has a personality! Katsuki fucking hates the Commission.

"That's...," Hawks seemed to finally get his bearings. "Are you okay? Are you actually alone? What about… Uh, family?"

He said the last word like it wasn't used much. Not a very good sign. Whatever, this was getting ridiculous. Katsuki Is Not going to be dealing with this hero's issues.

"I'm fucking fine, I don't need any help. And I'm obviously not going to give you any personal information. Fucking bye," Katsuki was tired and very done with this migraine-inducing conversation. He turned and stomped off, parkouring off roofs. Katsuki only glanced behind to check if Hawks followed him a few times, but he was alone once again.

\-----------------------------------

“That’s _ridiculous ,_ ” Ground Zero hid his laugh behind his hand as Suki nodded in agreement. She was glad to see him laugh, he seemed rather grim when he first arrived. When she had _first_ met him he never laughed or smiled genuinely, so moments like these were always heartening.

“I know. But I had to keep a straight face, so I just said, ‘that sounds terrible’ while dying a little inside,” Suki shook her head as Ground Zero barely stopped himself from dissolving into more laughs. The kid's laughter eventually faded away and a more serious look came over him. The real reason he visited.

Suki gave a quick glance towards the door, but the clothing store was closed right now. She was still working though. With technically three jobs, she was always working.

"What do you know about the Hero Commission?" Ground Zero asked. Suki sighed, this topic always depressed her a little more than others, because if the heroes were like this too, then could the world ever get better? That's why Suki had been interested in helping the vigilante in the first place, despite the risk of her clients ever finding out she told their secrets, because Ground Zero wanted change and he had actually realistic ideas on how to go about it. Suki had heard countless villains and other vigilantes monologue their ideals, but the kid only cared about actions. It was refreshing, to say the least (or maybe it was hope).

"Specifically? They've all got skeletons in closets. Or do you mean their _'projects',_ " Suki watched the mild disgust cross the kid's face briefly before reverting back to his default scowl.

"What about Hawks?" Ground Zero didn't sound like he had a grudge, so maybe he already had an idea then.

"Classic child soldier case. The paper trail is gone, but the blank spots in information paint the story on their own. There's no other name in any files for him. Not even the Underground Heroes are this fucking invisible and he's constantly on TV," Suki imagined a little kid with red wings being taken by monsters wearing suits. The world was fucked up. "There are other things, although I'm guessing you want to know about if he's the only one? Or how to get rid of his leash maybe?"

"He can take care of himself," Ground Zero grumbled. Suki raised an eyebrow, wondering why that had touched a nerve. Kid was always determined to be an adult, but what did Hawks have to do with it? "Anyway, I've been warned that the Commission will try to _recruit_ me"

"... You should have led with that," Suki stared the vigilante down. He rolled his eyes and she took that as a confirmation he would be more open.

"Well. Pretty sure since there's no paper trail or anything resembling a missing child's report, that he was either an orphan or had shirty parents. Not good for you because you don't have any legal protections. They could just arrest you and you disappear or publicly say they need to 'rehabilitate' you. The press would eat that up.

"But the press is also their weak point. If you stir up too much trouble, make it a risk to take you, they'll give up. They have too many secrets to draw that kind of attention, but if you provoke them...," Suki trailed off. She didn't need to explain further. Those fucks would do anything to keep their power. Ground Zero thought it over for a moment.

"In that case, do you have any information that will make them run for the fucking hills?" he grinned ferally, reminding Suki this was something he found _fun_. She smirked.

\-----------------------------------

Hawks was in the middle of a patrol when he got the call from the Commission. 

_“We will not be trying to recruit the vigilante, Ground Zero, anymore. This was decided in the best interest for the public, do not make contact again”_

‘Best interest for the public’... Hawks would like to believe they meant that the vigilante couldn’t be a hero, but he had a feeling that wasn’t it.

\-----------------------------------

“How did you do it?” Hawks finally asked after five minutes. Katsuki was suprised he waited that long, he could tell from their first meeting Hawks was the impatiently curious type. The hero had silently dropped next to him on the overhanging roof across from the building he was monitoring. It was dusk and Katsuki had seen on the news that he had already done hero work today, did this guy ever get a break?

“Does it matter? You don’t need to worry about me, bastard,” he kept his voice neutral, Katsuki didn’t want the hero to know how much the Commission pissed him off. Yet, at least.

“... I guess not. You should… Still be careful, if they… If they think you’re a threat -”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m not stupid,” Katsuki cut him off and scoffed. Hawks smiled lightly and most of the tension left him. The hero still looked troubled. Katsuki decided to test the waters. “Are you okay with what they are?”

“What?” Hawks gave him a confused look.

“They prioritize themselves,” Katsuki said. Hawks shifted uncomfortably.

“What they do - it’s, it’s for the greater good,” Hawks didn’t even try to sound convincing. He was tired.

Katsuki understood, as different as their lives were, he felt like he _knew_. The hero was lost in his head, no doubt conflicted between his instincts and his conditioning. Was he alone?

“If they give you shit, I can help,” why was he offering this? Hawks seemed just as surprised too. 

“... That’s very kind of you,” Katsuki scowled at the hero’s words, “But I…”

“Can take care of yourself,” Katsuki finished, his voice wasn’t as firm as he wanted it to be. If Hawks noticed his own tiredness he didn’t show it, just nodding.

“Yeah. I’ll see you around kid,” Hawks smiled even more genuinely this time before leaving. Katsuki watched him fly off, eventually disappearing on the horizon.

_\-----------------------------------_

_“It’s ironic that as scientists that don’t believe in God, we’re the ones who are closest to God,” he stared at the statue of the Sun God with mild contempt. God wasn’t worth all the lives sacrificed in Its name. He could tell Rose was offended by his words._

_“That’s arrogant. You think of yourself as God’s equal?” she said, not knowing how further from the truth that was._

_“Oh, right. I’ve heard of this legend before. ‘There was once a man that flew too close to the sun. His wings made of wax fell apart, and he plummeted to the earth’.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Hawks, just this exhausted 20 year old trying to watch out for this feral child.


	3. Oh Shit, Here We Go Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katsuki starts getting suspicious of his second quirk.

_“I can’t believe you, what did you do to my automail!?!” Winry gaped at his destroyed arm in horror. It quickly turned to fury, and he had to dodge the wrench thrown at his head._

_“It got destroyed in a fight! Stop throwing shit at me!” he yelled back as a nail missed him. Winry stopped and glared._

_“What the hell kind of trouble are you getting into?” the concerned tone finally broke through the anger. He scowled, starting to feel sheepish, and rubbed his neck with his flesh hand._

_“It’s fine,” he looked away as Winry stared him down. She couldn’t know. This would put her in too much danger._

_“... Right. Well, I better make an arm that won’t break so easily!” Winry let him get away without an explanation with a huff. She grinned at the prospect of building an automail arm, despite that being her literal job._

_“Gearhead.”_

_“Alchemy nerd!”_

_\-----------------------------------_

The science convention was held in a giant auditorium, displaying the newest inventions and theories for people to see. He trailed into the prosthetics-focused section. Katsuki watched in exasperation as people squabbled over energy sources for artificial body parts. Even when the nervous system was _right there_. Times like this, he almost wished he could legally participate in this shit.

“Prosthetics that can be used in heroics without outside energy reserves are possible! With the right support, it’s entirely viable!” a female voice yelled ( ~~_blonde hair, blue eyes, the smell of pie_ ~~) from a stall Katsuki was walking by. Well, good to hear someone else had sense. He turned to see a girl his age with pink hair talking animatedly with a disgruntled looking scientist. She was dressed like an engineer. Katsuki thought he could even see fresh grease stains on her arms. Does she have anything here on display?

He was going to keep walking, but something made him pause. Katsuki analyzed the stall’s inventions and the scientist. Hero support items… A long time ago, he had wanted to be a hero before he became disillusioned with the system. But Katsuki was still a fan of hero support; some of the inventions created were _amazing_. Maybe that’s why he couldn’t stand to listen to this bullshit.

“Don’t insult her ideas when you’re shit would strain the poor fucker wearing them too much,” Katsuki cut in sharply as he saw the shitty scientist insult her. “The electrical pulses could be easily regulated with electric motors and pneumatic actuators if you _actually_ knew what you were doing.”

The girl grinned widely at him as the scientist sputtered. Katsuki just scowled at both of them and really did walk away this time. He was followed.

“That wasn’t a fucking invitation.”

“Don’t care! Are you here to watch, or do you have any displays? What thoughts do you have about the surgery process? Have you made any blueprints? What about materials? Normal steel is okay but not very good for hero work since -”

“I’m just looking!” Katsuki cut off her ramble. While he was _kind of_ tempted to talk about inventions, he was _really_ trying not to draw attention. These people were affiliated with many heroes, and because of that, the Hero Commission too. And he _just_ got them to leave him alone. “Go away.”

“So you don’t want to see my babies? The convention didn’t let me bring all of them to display. Still, I have some of my own blueprints for prosthetics with alloys and installed weapons!” the enthusiasm was a little contagious ( ~~_the sound of metals being welded, a dog with three legs, piercings in his hand_ ~~). Katsuki didn’t understand why he felt like talking, some weird nostalgic feeling he couldn’t place.

“Fine. Twenty minutes”, Katsuki watched a familiar feral grin overtake her face.

\-----------------------------------

Katsuki pathetically leaned against the wall of his home, breathing heavily. The numbness started to spread around his wound, and alarm bells rang in his head. 

Injuries half this severe were rare, leaving him feeling more panicked than he liked. It had been a villain hideout, nothing special, when one of them lost control of their quirk and created a miniature earthquake. Luckily, only a small part of the building was affected enough to bring the ceiling and walls down. So civilians were fine. Unfortunately, Katsuki was in the middle of the danger zone. In only a few seconds, he had managed to keep the room from caving in entirely with Transmutation. Fixing shit while it broke, and a shitty villain had taken this as a chance to attack. Katsuki avoided most of the damage, but that still left a gash in his side that was progressively getting worse despite the first aid he had done already. Fuck, he barely made it home at all. 

_You’re going into shock_ , his mind unhelpfully supplied. _I_ **_know_** , he thought back angrily. It was worse than he first assumed, basic medical care wouldn’t cut it, and he was alone. So, Transmutation was the only option.

His second quirk… Was a little strange if Katsuki was honest with himself. It didn’t show up when he was four, like Explosion. Instead, he had just always _known_ as far as he could remember, had always _known_ the equations, the arrays, the truth… Quirks were weird, that’s just a fact. Katsuki couldn’t escape the fact that his felt different.

Times like this, it was a blessing. Typical healing methods wouldn’t work though, too much damage, and he was losing blood fast ( ~~_I’ll use my soul_ ~~ ). Katsuki, in the back of mind, knew he had only one option if he didn’t want to die of blood loss. _How do I know this?_

Positioning himself next to the first aid station, Katsuki lifted his hands and clapped. The revelation of feeling himself grabbing his own life force and the red transmutation energy he had never seen before were pushed back by the pain. Once it was over, Katsuki stared at his closed wound with a dizzy head. He clumsily set up and grabbed an IV. He was about to pass out, and if he didn’t make sure he was getting more blood, then he could die anyway.

The IV was placed correctly, and Katsuki let the world fade to darkness.

\-----------------------------------

“Kid, are you okay?” Aizawa, the hero had insisted he call him by his name now for some reason, shook Katsuki out of his thoughts. He glanced to the side and saw Eri was too absorbed in her book to notice him spacing out.

“I’m fine, just thinking,” Katsuki hadn’t been able to stop going back to when he healed himself from what would have been a fatal wound. How is it he could understand his quirk so much and so little at the same time?

“Something happened,” this guy was way too perceptive. Katsuki rolled his eyes. “Ground Zero.”

Of course, Katsuki hadn’t shared his name. He wasn’t stupid.

“It’s nothing, how’s the kid adjusting?” he watched the hero huff in frustration. Aizawa had adopted Eri as soon as he could, something Katsuki wasn’t that surprised about, and now the hero was making him meet her. For some reason. At least she was pretty cool. Katsuki didn’t like hanging around most kids.

“For the most part fine, it’s making friends her own age she’s still having trouble with,” the hero talked about the great dramatics happening at the local playground. Katsuki marveled at the contrast of how two nights ago, they had been discussing a drug trafficking cartel. Really, the hero talked about his husband (apparently the loud hero/teacher. Why he’s sharing personal information, Katsuki doesn’t know) being a pushover for Eri with more riveting storytelling than he ever did about villains. Yet, the most confusing part was why _Katsuki_ was hearing about this.

“There’s something else,” Aizawa became more serious near the ending of their meeting. Katsuki straightened up, detecting the rare emotion in the hero’s voice. A small envelope was handed to him, and he wasted no time in carefully checking out the contents. A picture. Of an _array_. Katsuki’s stomach flipped at the sight of it. This one was _bad_. He just knew it.

“It was found in an abandoned building suspected to have been used as some unidentified villain’s hideout. It looks like one of your little arrays,” Aizawa waited for him to reply, but Katsuki had nothing he could say that would make any sense. The hero sighed and turned away. “There might be more information in past reports… Tell me if there’s something I need to know.” 

Aizawa-speak for; ‘tell me before you cause trouble, problem child.’ Katsuki nodded as his mind scrambled for answers.

\-----------------------------------

Files and papers were strewn all over the floor around Katsuki. He rifled through them in barely restrained desperation. The picture of the array was still lying next to him, mocking his internal panic.

There had to be evidence of someone with his quirk ( ~~_quirk?_ ~~ ). Katsuki couldn’t properly explain why this was so distressing. It just was ( ~~_purple light, hands grabbing him, screams_ ~~ ). No one in his family tree had passed it down, he had looked years ago, and the internet held no answers. Yet, this photo existed. Someone else made an array, a harmful array. How did he _know?_

Katsuki brought his face into his hands and groaned. This was driving him insane. He glanced around tiredly before freezing, finally seeing something. In an open file, he saw a quote from a criminal's record. 

**_‘... he said it was equivalent exchange...’_ **

Katsuki picked up the file; it was a report of a criminal arrest over twenty years ago. Someone claiming that they were innocent of ten disappearances, that a doctor had done _‘magic’_ and the people disappeared. There had been an investigation of a quirk, because obviously ‘magic’ was a ridiculous defense, but nothing was found.

Equivalent exchange. The first limit ( ~~_law_ ~~ ) of Transmutation ( ~~_not that, something else_ ~~ ), Katsuki couldn’t just make shit out of fucking nowhere. There had to be fair trade ( ~~_What was worth the price of a human soul?_ ~~). He looked into what had happened to the criminal and found a dead end, literally. There were no other witnesses to this ‘doctor’ or any ‘magic.’ Katsuki scowled and refrained from exploding the paper in his hands.

Something was _wrong_. He just couldn’t figure out what. Why was his second quirk so strange? Why did he know things he shouldn’t? Who else might know?

Katsuki gripped the file and stared at the missing people's reports. _What happened to them? What could Transmutation do with people?_

But he already knew the answer to that, Katsuki realized as his healing injury (that should have been _fatal_ ) ached.

_\-----------------------------------_

_“That mercy of yours… Has become your downfall!” Kimblee grinned and the immediate area exploded. The ground caved in with deafening noise._

_The first thing he noticed once he regained proper consciousness after falling, was that the entire mining tower had been taken down in the blast._

_Next was the extreme agony from his side as soon as he tried to move up from the ground._

_“Fuck!” he looked back to see a metal beam had fallen on him, going through his back and out his stomach. “No way...”_

_He had way too much shit to do to die right now. There was still Kimblee, and everyone waiting for him. Hawkeye had said so… Al_ **_needed_ ** _him… He had_ **_promised_ ** _Winry._

_His fist clenched, and he transmuted the beam, so it was disconnected from the rest of the building, making it easy to pull out later. Kimblee’s minions, the two chimeras from earlier, had been trapped in the rubble too… Guess the man didn’t care if they died. He transmuted the wreckage some more, unpinning them from the debris._

_“Damn… Mr. Kimlee really threw us under the bus…,“ the lion chimera dusted himself off._

_“Hey, Fullmetal, you alright?! Why'd you save us?” the gorilla chimera caught sight of him laying the dirt._

_“You’re really hurt…,” the other one said._

_“Don’t… Get the wrong… idea. I just needed… Someone to pull this damn thing… Out of my stomach,” he spat out between heavy breaths. He couldn't afford to go into shock._

_“Y- You want us to pull that beam out? Even though we were just fighting?”_

_“Yeah… Please,” he added as an afterthought._

_“........ Well. I don’t recall being ordered to kill him, do you?”_

_“No, but if we pull this out, aren’t you gonna start bleeding like crazy and die of blood loss?” the lion stared at the beam apprehensively._

_“No… As soon as you remove it… I’m gonna close the wound with alchemy… Hopefully, before I die,” he groaned as the gorilla chimera propped him up from behind so the lion could more easily pull out the beam._

_“You’re a medical alchemist too?”_

_“No… But a long time ago, I tried human transmutation… So I read about it a little,” it was more complicated than what he said… But there was no time to get into_ **_that_** _._

_“You’re insides are probably completely messed up. The only reason Mr. Kimblee survived being impaled by Scar was because he had a philosopher's stone.”_

_“_ **_I’m going to use my own life energy… To increase the power_ ** _... It might shorten my lifespan a little,” Al would kill him if he knew he was being so reckless._

_“Are - are you sure about this?”_

_“I don’t have time to think. I’m in this situation because I’ve been too soft… I made a mess, and now I've gotta clean it up,” Kimblee’s last words to him echoed in his ears. This is where his resolve got him._

_“I don’t really get what you're about to do, but you’re right, we don’t have time. Okay, get ready,” the lion chimera moved in front of him and waited a moment before gripping the beam hesitantly._

_Right. Think of yourself as a mass of energy, “Do it.” The all-consuming pain as the beam was pulled out almost made him lose focus._ **_Just like a philosopher's stone. I’m nothing more than a philosopher’s stone made of one soul. Think back. Remember that feeling, as I used Envy’s stone. How it feels to use life itself!_ ** _He screamed as he transmuted himself, grabbing onto his own soul and using it._

_A moment of silence descended on the trio once the transmutation finished._

_“Is he dead?”_

_“Hell no… Not yet,” he gasped out and slowly sat up._

_“_ ** _Wow._ ** _You don’t even need a doctor as long as you have alchemy, huh?” the gorilla helped him up more._

_“I couldn’t completely fix it. This is just to stop the bleeding and protect my organs,” he stood up shakily._

_“So, we need a doctor, after all.”_

_“No time…” he took a step, but his legs gave out beneath him, and he fell into darkness._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aizawa: *trying to discreetly adopt this feral child*
> 
> Katsuki: What the fuck is he doing?
> 
> .... I mean seriously Trisha died when Ed was little and then the closest things he had to parents after that were either War Criminals or Izumi, so... And Katsuki's parents sucked... Aizawa really has his work cut out for him.


End file.
